A bond hearing is scheduled Thursday for two people accused of killing a Clark Atlanta University student last month.
Jordyn Jones, 21, and Barron Brantley, also 21, are charged with felony murder in the death of Alexis Crawford.
Jordyn Jones (left), Alexis Crawford (center) and Barron Brantley (right). (Photos: Alexis Crawford Facebook/Fulton County Jail)
Crawford, a senior at the Atlanta HBCU, was reported missing by relatives Nov. 1 after they said they hadn’t heard from her in several days. Her body was discovered in a DeKalb County park Nov. 8.
Court documents revealed disturbing details about the young woman’s demise, describing how Jones and Brantley, Jones’ boyfriend, strangled Crawford to death before dumping her body in the woods. Reports state Crawford and Jones got into a physical altercation in which Brantley got involved, choking the young woman with his hands until she died.
An arrest affidavit for Jones, a close friend and roommate of Crawford’s, alleges she “did smother the victim, Alexis Crawford, with a black trash bag until Crawford stopped breathing and was deceased.”
The couple then placed the victim’s remains in a plastic bin and moved her to Exchange Park in Decatur, Georgia, where her remains were discarded.
“The case has come to one of the saddest conclusions possible and has been absolutely heartbreaking,” said Atlanta Police Chief Erika Shields.
Days before her disappearance, Crawford filed a police report accusing Brantley, Jones’ boyfriend, of sexual assault, including unwanted kissing and touching. She said the three of them had been drinking at the near-campus apartment she shared with Jones, 21, when the reported assault occurred.
Crawford told police she blacked out and woke up partially naked with ripped underwear. The 21-year-old went to Grady Memorial Hospital, where a rape kit was performed.
Authorities are still working to determine a clear motive for the killing.
Jones has no prior criminal history other than a DUI in her home state of Michigan, while Brantley has an extensive rap sheet dating back to 2015. Those charges include robbery, family violence and cruelty to children, among other offenses.
The pair were set to appear in Fulton County Superior Court at 9:30 a.m. for their hearings and are also scheduled for preliminary hearings Friday, Nov. 22.
